BARCO — Residents raised the issues of pollution and economic impact. But what seemed to matter most to the crowd gathered here Monday was the anticipated effect of noise from the Navy's outlying landing field proposed for nearby Camden County.

A large group of Camden and Currituck county residents responded to the open house invitation to the Navy's first scoping meeting held to hear from residents and to explain the project. The meeting was held in preparation for an Environmental Impact Study that will help the Navy determine which of the two sites in North Carolina and three in Virginia will be selected as the site where pilots can practice for aircraft carrier landings.

Justin Falls/The Daily Advance (ENLARGE)

Wearing her 'No OLF' hat, Doris Flora (right) speaks with Karen Etheridge during a U.S.Navy 'scoping' meeting on the outlying landing field at the Currituck Cooperative Extension Center, Monday.

Several Currituck residents said they had lived on the outskirts of the Fentress OLF and Naval Air Station Oceana, and said they left that area because of the noise.

"We moved to get away from the exact noise situation that they're talking about," said Moyock resident Linda Lesher.

She said deafening jet noise would create blocks in conversations with neighbors and when watching television. She and her husband, Robert, are concerned about noise over the schools their children attend now, Moyock Elementary and Currituck County High School, as well as the schools their daughter will attend after elementary school.

Robert said it was the noise that caused them to move to Moyock.

"It had a major impact on daily living outside," he said.

Currituck resident Wallace Davis Jr. said he was disappointed to find that Camden's proposed field site is significantly closer to Oceana than the other four sites. The Camden site is 26 nautical miles from Oceana, while the others are 72 miles or more from the air station.

He and his wife, Carolyn, bought 70 additional acres to the north of the proposed Camden site but said they wouldn't have if they had known that it might be so close to a landing site. The lifelong Currituck residents say they bought more than 100 acres in the area to the north of the Blackwater training facility to feel a part of their community. They said economic incentives can't change what the noise impact might have on area residents. Wallace said incentives wouldn't change his mind.

"I'd have to almost say absolutely not," he said. "I think it's a very small reward for what we would have to sacrifice."

Michael Zimmerman, of Moyock, was another resident who moved from southeastern Virginia and also said he wouldn't accept a field in Camden in exchange for incentives.

"They couldn't pay me enough," he said.

Fred Pierson, a civilian with the Navy who has expertise in jet noise, said the most common questions he received were related to how much noise residents would be exposed to at their homes. He said dimensions and sound zones have not been developed for the site because the study has not been completed, so he couldn't tell them that.

"I think there's going to be a lot of questions for a while," Pierson said.

U.S. Fleet Forces Command Media Officer Ted Brown said the concerns he'd heard from residents were similar to what he'd heard before at other OLF meetings. Most want to know how loud it would be outside their house if the site were constructed. Others wanted to know why a floating platform wouldn't work or why property around Fentress couldn't be bought to appease that area's residents.

He said while residents surrounding Fentress are concerned about the field, the Navy is not able to meet all of its training needs by using that one site.

The Navy is holding seven open houses in locations near the five proposed sites within nine days. Brown said the meetings give residents a chance to meet with Navy representatives individually and get some questions answered as well as provide feedback to the Navy.

The public has until June 7 to postmark comments or submit them via the Internet to be taken into account in the impact study. Comments can be mailed to Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, Attn: Code EV OLF EIS Project Manager, 6506 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA, 23508. Comments can also be submitted online at www.OLFEIS.com.